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Grandparenting Numbers

There were 5.7 million grandparents in Canada in 2001. Each grandparent had on average 4.7 grandchildren.
First-time grandparenthood is a mid-life event: Canadians typically become grandparents in their late 40s or early 50s.
The average age of Canadian grandparents is about 65.
Nearly two-thirds (65%) of Canadian women aged 55 to 64 and over half (53%) of men in this age range are grandparents.
Nearly 4 out of 5 people in Canada aged 75 or older are grandparents
53% of grandparents in Canada are retired, 30% are still in the labour force, and 11% are home makers or childcare providers.

Grandparents are family resources: they are babysitters, they transmit family history, traditions, and social values, and they are confidants and role models.
A century ago, grandparents could expect to spend only 10 years with their grandchildren. Today grandparents and grandchildren can expect up to 20 years together.
Almost 40% of Canadians aged 15 or over with a living grandparent see their grandparent more than once a month.
One US study revealed that the most popular activities among grandparents and grandchildren include: having dinner together (86%), eating out (84%), watching TV (76%), going shopping (75%), and reading together (75%).
In 1997, 46% percent of US grandparentsfelt they were more relaxed and easy-going with their grandchildren than the children's parents were.
By offering emotional or material support to their adult children, grandparents may reduce the overall stress in their grandchildren’s families.
About 35% of grandparents in shared homes were household maintainers (or primary financial providers).
In 1998, American grandparents reported spending a median of $505 a year on their grandchildren, up from $250 in 1988.
British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec and New Brunswick have laws recognizing the rights of grandparents to have access to their grandchildren.

With their age and experience, grandparents can act as buffers between parents and grandchildren in volatile family situations, and as family anchors in a fast-changing world.
In a 2005 survey, 42% of baby boomers felt it is extremely important to be close to family. Nearly half would consider moving to be within three hours of grandchildren.
4% of Canadians, or about 930,000 people, lived in multigenerational households in 2001.
Multigenerational households are most common in British Columbia: 4.9% of individuals in this province live with extended family.
In 2001 there were 8780 children in BC living with a grandparent, with no parent present
3.9% of BC children aged 0-14 live with their grandparents.
In 2001, a total of 56,700 Canadian grandparents were living with their grandchildren without either of the child's parents involved.
One in 250 Canadian children lives with grandparents only.